ACC All Access: Worst word from doctor would've been "No," according to Virginia Tech's Antone Exum

By Norm Wood

Though he had a feeling he was going to get cleared Monday to practice and participate in games, there was still a tiny bit of doubt in Antone Exum’s head as he sat in Dr. James Andrews’ office.

After nearly eight months of rehabilitation, Exum didn’t want to hear anything but positive news. He’d come too far to have to wait any longer to get on the field for Virginia Tech (4-1 overall, 1-0 ACC).

“I wasn’t nervous,” said Exum on Tuesday night. “I knew how hard I had worked for this, and I felt like I was really ready. So, going into it, I was very optimistic, but it was in my head like, ‘Man, what if I don’t know what’s best, and he just comes in like – No, five more weeks.’ I’d be crushed. I was just happy that I performed well (on the strength tests).”

Exum, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound senior cornerback, will have to wear a brace on his surgically repaired right knee in Saturday’s game against North Carolina (1-3, 0-1). He practiced Tuesday in the brace.

“I don’t like it, but Dr. Andrews wants me to wear it for at least the first game just as a precaution, so I’m going to follow his orders,” said Exum, who injured his knee in January playing pickup basketball, and who had surgery Feb. 7 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, torn medial and lateral meniscus and a bone fracture.

The plan is to start Exum in place of incumbent starter Brandon Facyson against UNC, but Exum has to get through the practice week in full health. Tech defensive backs coach Torrian Gray anticipates Exum improving as the season progresses.

“Watching him move around (Tuesday), I think his best ball is going to probably be a couple weeks down the road, but he’s cleared to play,” Gray said. “I think he’s knocking off some of the rust right now.”

Gray may be coaching the deepest group of cornerbacks in the nation. He said motivating cornerbacks Kyle and Kendall Fuller, Brandon Facyson and Exum isn’t too difficult at this point. Kyle and Kendall Fuller and Facyson have combined to log seven of Tech’s 11 interceptions (tied with Tennessee for the national lead), led by Facyson’s four (also tied for the national lead).

“When you’ve got so many talented guys, I think that’s kind of an unspoken thing,” Gray said. “You know you’ve got to go out there and compete, because you’ve got guys behind you that can play.”

“This is a good week,” Exum said. “They like to throw it around. They’ve got a couple weapons and a really good quarterback, so I mean, it’s definitely a test. I came back right in time to get tested, and I know they’ll come at me.”

During the course of his rehab, Exum originally set an initial goal to be ready to play in time for the season-opener against Alabama, then for last week’s game at Georgia Tech before having to settle for the UNC game. Now, even he doesn’t think he was ready to play prior to this week.

“I was close that (Georgia Tech) game,” Exum said. “I don’t know how safe it would’ve been playing that game. I was close, but I wouldn’t say I was ready. A week’s time can be a world of time with an injury like this, so I just had to give it a little bit more time to heal, get it a little stronger and more acquainted to some of the movements out there.”

At the very least, Exum doesn’t think he’ll be gasping for air anytime in Saturday’s game. Gray said he hopes to get Exum in for about half of Saturday’s game, and get Facyson on the field, too.

“I’ve attacked that heavily,” said Exum of his cardiovascular training, which he supplemented with the use of a specially-designed mask that simulates workouts at high altitude. “That’s been one of the things that I found most important process. Just getting my wind back, trying to get back in game shape cardiovascular-wise. That’s something I took importance to. I could be wrong, but on Saturday, I don’t think it’ll be a fatigue factor that’ll set in.”